The Dark Side Or The Light? (Remake)
by Exar Sunrider
Summary: (I am remaking my badly-written story)-In this Youth Wars prequel, the Ghost crew -along with Jedi Besalisk Aang- finds Lothal under the control of the Empire yet again. This time, a powerful and more active Imperial is in charge and is pulling out all the stops to lure the rebellion back.
1. Chapter 1

The Dark Side Or The Light?  
Ver. 2

Chapter 1

The Ghost crew had narrowly escaped the Battle over Scarif after they had received word that an important shipment was going to be delivered to the Death Star; after the destruction on Scarif, the Ghost crew had immediately been assigned with a squad of rebels to intercept the cargo before it reached the battle station.

But they had been so hasty that they didn't consider the amount of backup that would accompany the vital cargo. As the small cell rushed into action, they were shortly overwhelmed by the number of TIEs in the fleet.

"At this point, I'm grateful for anything less than Scarif." Ezra Bridger said.

"You and me both." Sabine Wren concurred.

Some of Phoenix Squadron helped out and diverted most of the TIEs from the Ghost. The view of the Ghost had been cleared; from straight forward, they could see the target.

"Zeb! The cargo is just ahead." Hera Syndulla shouted through the comm system.

"I copy Hera! I see it!" Garazeb Orrelios replied from the dorsal laser cannon turret.

"You have to make it, Zeb." Kanan Jarrus warned him. "Considering the stakes, this is something we can't miss."

"Yeah no pressure." Zeb replied sarcastically before aiming at the cargo attached to the cargo ship, then he fired. After a few shots, he finally hit the cargo hold and the crates released from the ship. "I got it!" Zeb shouted.

"Nice work." Jedi Besalisk Aang complemented.

"Did I ever thank you for these gun upgrades?" Zeb asked.

"Um. . . Every mission, yes."

"They _are_ very handy." Kanan said.

"That's been said every time as well." Aang added.

The Ghost quickly flew by and swiped up the crates. But right after that, Ezra and Kanan blacked out.

Kanan and Ezra found themselves in an alleyway between two old buildings. Ezra recognized the buildings, and the sky. Ezra figured it out, then asked himself, "What are we doing back here?"

"Wait! Ezra, do you hear that?" Kanan asked. Ezra listened, and they both heard shouts in the streets. They sneaked up to the edge of the alley and they peeked out; they saw a crowd farther up the street, and a stage was ahead of them.

Then they noticed a squad of Death Troopers pushing the crowd back. They saw six Death Troopers dragging civilians onto the stage, and another strange figure -also dragging a civilian who had a bag over his head- followed them; they stood in a line on the stage. The civilians were shoved onto their knees before the new Imperial attached a camera to a probe droid, and then it was being broadcast; then the Imperial spoke.

"Rebellion of the galaxy! Mainly, Phoenix Squadron. I am Bando Roscoe! Years ago you took Lothal as your own; if you thought you could keep it, you're crazier than we thought." Bando introduced. "You have threatened the Empire long enough with your treachery, and it will be tolerated no more. If you don't surrender, there will be consequences." Once he finished, the Death Troopers exited the stage, and Bando kneeled behind the citizen on his far right.

Then Ezra witnessed as a red blade went through the innocent man from behind.

Bando stood up and looked into the camera, and continued, "If you don't surrender, your people will suffer. Every day you don't surrender, the number of the slaughtered will increase sevenfold. If we receive no response within seven days, then Lothal will be gone."

Bando stepped in a line and killed off the others, but left the one with a bag on his head for last. Ezra had to witness the first six deaths, then he almost went into mental shock when Bando pulled off the bag off the last victim's head.

"Ezra, what is it?" Kanan asked.

"This new sith is killing people. . ." Ezra stuttered.

" _Ezra_ , _what_ _ **is**_ _it?_ " Kanan asked desperately, but slowly.

"It's Ryder." He told him, then Kanan was shocked. "We have to stop him!" Ezra then shouted as he tried running forward, but Kanan caught his shoulder.

"There's nothing we can do here, Ezra." He told him. "This might be the future. The force could be warning us."

Ezra then shouted, " _ **No**_!" as he then witness a red blade decapitate Ryder.

Kanan heard it.

Before they woke from their vision, Ezra spotted two familiar Imperials standing off to the side. He recognized them as Cumberlayne Aresko and Miles Grint, but he thought they were dead.

Ezra awoke in the med-bay in a cold sweat. He tried getting up, but was called by Kanan. "Ezra, wait."

"Wait for what? For the Empire to kill all of Lothal?"

"No. I just-"

"Kanan, we _have_ to go back. We _can't_ let them do this."

"What's going on?"

"Agh!" Ezra felt too aggravated to contemplate the question.

"Other than the apparent murder of your people, which I know is really hard on you, I sense confusion. What _is_ it?"

That, Ezra could answer, "I thought I saw two Imperial officers. Ones that, I thought were dead years ago."

"What do you mean? Who?"

"They were the ones who trained me as an undercover cadet."

"The ones that were announced dead? Killed by the Inquisitor?"

"Yeah. I saw them."

"How?"

"How should I know?"

Kanan sighed and diverted from the topic, "The Empire is growing stronger, definitely; but to raise people from the dead is something else. If they have that kind of power, then we might not stand a chance. They'll kill innocent people, but will be able to raise their own back from the dead."

"You were never one to lose hope." Ezra said quietly.

"Lothal will _not_ suffer, and we will _not_ surrender." Hera proclaimed proudly as she entered the med-bay, but a clearly saddened expression was hinted on her face.

"What?" Ezra asked almost hopelessly.

"I saw it on the holonet." Hera clarified.

Ezra's gaze went from concerned to horrified. "It wasn't a future vision."

"Ryder Azadi is dead." Kanan mumbled, covering his mouth with his hand.

"How are we going to fight this?" Ezra asked.

"Sometimes it's not fighting we need to focus on." Aang said, entering the med-bay.

"Does everyone else know?" Ezra asked.

"They do." Hera answered.

"What will we do now?" Kanan asked.

Aresko and Grint had been invited to Bando's office. They arrived when they were expected, and sat down in front of Bando's desk.

Bando was facing the window in his chair, then he swerved around in it and faced them

"Do you know why you're here?" Bando asked them. Aresko and Grint looked at each other curiously.

Bando sighed, then told them, "After we sent our message to the rebellion, I sensed a thread of doubt within your minds. As if you though," He leaned forward on his desk, "You think what we're doing is wrong."

The two officers became nervous.

"Of the few years you served the Empire, you had never experienced brutal dealings with the rebels. This kind of matter dealing is nothing of your mindset. And you don't agree with it."

"Well, um-"

Bando stood and stopped any of them from speaking. "I'll have you know that this is something I will not take lightly. You will remember your place, and you will especially remember the reason you're still alive. I brought you back for a reason; stick by that, and your patience will be rewarded. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." Aresko said quietly.

"You may be excused."

The two officers got up and left slowly. Shortly afterwards, a commander entered the room. "You summoned me?"

"I did. It's time for phase two."

A day had passed, yet Bando had received no reply from Phoenix Squadron. He peered out his window, hoping to catch a shift in the force. Maybe a tip ahead of time. Only a moment, later, an Imperial officer entered the room with a datapad.

"Excuse me sir, but we've received a message to be seen by your eyes only. It's, from the Emperor."

Bando didn't turn, but he used the force to pull the datapad to him; he read the message then repeated it to himself. _'Lord Vader is after the insurgents who stole Death Star plans, and the Emperor wants me to guard it while he's out. I suppose I shall finish the other job while I'm at it'_

He handed the pad back to the officer, then told him, "Prepare my ship."

"Yes, sir."

Bando went down to the docking bay; and right in front of his shuttle, Death Troopers were lined up on either side of the walkway into his shuttle. As Bando passed the troopers, they followed him onto his ship.

Bando sat down in his chair in the bridge, and commanded the pilots, "Set a course for the weapon."

"Sir, we don't have those coordinates." One replied.

With a wave of his hand, Bando had the coordinates downloaded into the computer.

"Never mind, sir. We got them."

The ship lifted off shortly afterwards, and once they entered space, they entered hyperspace.

Once safely on their path to the Death Star, Bando had a stormtrooper with a camera follow him into the brick where he kept seven times more victims than he had previously killed. As soon as he entered, the forty-nine prisoners chained to the walls riled up and started shouting at him.

Rolling his eyes under his helmet, Bando shouted over them, " _ **Would you all like to die sooner?**_ " Then the room was dead silent. "Good. We can get this over with quicker. Now, _what do you all know about Phoenix Squadron?_ " He asked them. No one answered.

He stepped around, observing the Lothalians. He looked for signs of weakness, so he could easily break and get answers. He found what he was looking for in an old man who was hanging his head. He kneeled down in front of him and asked, "What do _you_ know about Phoenix Squadron?"

The villager didn't answer, so Bando lifted his chin and looked into the civilian's eyes with his glowing red visor. "Tell me what you know, and you will be let go sooner." Still, the prisoner said nothing.

Bando let go of him and stood up, then said to him while also subtly talking to everyone else, "You think I brought forty-nine _random_ street rats to interrogate? I know that with every attack, the peoples' intelligence of the rebellion grows." Then he leaned down to the same man, " _And_. . . I know the rebel sympathizers. So you _better_ start talking; you know the punishment of uncooperation, so do yourself a favor and choose your fate wisely."

"You didn't think all forty-nine of us would know the knowledge you seek, did you?"

Bando placed his hand on his lightsaber and clicked his tongue. "One more try."

"I don't personally know about Phoenix Squadron; I just received news about a shipment to be sent to a secret weapon of yours, and I had them informed."

Bando's gaze averted to the side, then looked back at him. "What shipment?"

"Uh. . . crystals."

Bando bowed his head, then started laughing. He then stood up and said, "Thank you for your cooperation." Then, everyone's arms were free, but there were still chains around their neck. Bando then drew his lightsaber and stabbed through his neck. He swung sideways and the man was decapitated.

The prisoners began shouting again; but before it could get too far, Bando raised his fists, then everyone else was choking. "I didn't say no one would die, now _did_ I? Did no one see my performance yesterday? You're _all_ here to die." Then he let his chokehold go.

He approached the trooper cameraman and told him, "It's time."

The trooper activated the camera, and now Bando was being broadcast live. "I have not yet received word from Phoenix Squadron, so you know what comes next don't you? I have no choice but to take more lives from Lothal."

Bando drew out his lightsaber and stepped to the side. He pointed the lightsaber to the wall and slowly walked forward. As he walked by one person, his head was removed. He did it very slowly to each side. Then it was all done.

Once Bando finished, he looked straight into the camera and audibly mumbled, "Tick, tock. And enjoy my little present." Then the camera stopped rolling.

Bando stepepd out to make his way to the bridge, but the trooper asked, "Shouldn't we try going after them since they have the, uh, crystals?"

Bando stopped to answer. "No. They don't have the crystals."

Ezra awoke in his room, and got up slowly; he looked and saw no one around. He suddenly remembered the situations, then rushed out to the hallway to head to the common room; in the hallway, he was stopped in his tracks by Kanan.

"We haven't sent the Empire any messages, and it's been a day. Did anything happen?"

Kanan didn't look happy, and Ezra could sense he wasn't happy either. Ezra's expression darkened, then Hera met them in the hallway.

"He broadcast again." She said quietly. Kanan and Ezra looked at each other, then followed Hera into the common room; the rest of the crew was there, looking at a paused image of Bando.

Once they were settled, Sabine played the recording.

"I have not yet received word from Phoenix Squadron, so you know what comes next don't you? I have no choice but to take more lives from Lothal."

Then they watched as Bando slowly, obviously smugly killed off the forty-nine (as far as they saw) Lothalians.

Ezra paid close attention when Bando said, "Tick, tock. And enjoy my little present." Then the recording stopped.

"Hera." He called. "What exactly were in the crates we got?"

"There was nothing." Hera replied.

"Aang sensed something with them, and is figuring it out now." Kanan added.

"Why would there be nothing in the crates if they were putting up such an effort to guard it?" Zeb asked.

"Well obviously they wanted to make it seem real. The whole thing was a diversion." Sabine answered.

"We were informed of a shipment of crystals; they must have sent that pack as a diversion to keep us from them." Hera said.

"You're absolutely right." Aang said as he entered the room with one of the crates. He dropped it on the ground and showed them a cut hole in the side. "All the crates were set to explode and decimate us."

"Wow! What would we do without you?" Sabine asked.

"I don't think you'd be doing anything. Remember your guys' first mission with me?" Aang inquired.

"So we need to report this?" Ezra then asked.

"Without a doubt." Hera replied.

"They almost came close to destroying us. We're entering hard times." General Dodonna said, resting his arms on the holotable and drooping his head.

"For the record, we've always been in hard times. In the meantime, we need to get more productive if we are to survive Bando's reign in the Empire." Kanan said.

"We're already a step ahead into that." Ezra said. "Thanks to Aang, we foiled their plan to blow us up."

 _Beep Beep Beep_

"Sir, we're detecting multiple ships entering our sector from hyperspace."

"Or we just enabled them to track us." Hera mumbled, obviously annoyed. She rushed up to the window and saw Imperial ships racing towards them.

"Everyone head to the Ghost!" Hera ordered; everyone was off in a rush.

 _'I better take a closer look at one of the crates.'_ Aang thought to himself.

The Ghost was locked and loaded and ready to fight. Hera took off, and the crew started blasting TIEs. But the number of TIEs was not small; the Empire wasn't underestimating them. The rebellion was shortly overwhelmed.

"We may need to make a quick exit." Aang told Hera from the co-pilot's seat.

"In this situation, I actually agree." Hera said. She activated the comm and told General Dodonna, "Sir, for once, I don't think we can all survive this. We have to leave."

" _We have only just begun to fight. We will not retreat._ " Dodonna argued.

"If we die here, the galaxy will fall under the Empire's control. You know the stakes." Hera shot back.

" _Ugh. I do not like retreating, but this is going to have to be an exception for the galaxy's sake._ "

"Thank you sir!" Hera thanked gladly before she entered hyperspace; the other rebel ships were barely able to follow.

Hera swiveled around and faced Aagn. "Did you find anything?"

"I... did." Aang said. He held up the bit of the crate and showed her the deactivated bomb, and a smaller object inside it. "The Empire had this bomb here to kill us in case we didn't discover it; but on the chance that we might discover and deactivate it, they programmed the deactivation to act as a trigger for the tracking device.

"Then how did they get to us so quickly?"

"That, I don't know. But at least we got away." Aang said, then the rest entered the cockpit. Aang showed them the same thing. "There was a tracker just in case we deactivated the bomb. The Empire had two plans to kill us at the same time."

"As long as we survived both plans, we can still stand against them, but we can't do anything now." Kanan said.

"So what do we do?" Ezra asked.

"What we did on Garel."

"Hide?"

"For now."

 _ **I'm already more satisfied with this than the original. I fit three chapters into -what I call- a normal length chapter.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bando arrived at the Death Star; his shuttle landed in the weapon's docking bay. Grand Moff Tarkin and a squad was there to greet him.

"So the Emperor decided to have Bando Roscoe replace Vader in this mission?" Tarkin asked rather flatly.

"Don't sound so surprised, Tarkin." Bando retorted as he walked down the ramp and past the Grand Moff.

"For any incursion that should happen here, I have escape ships prepared to evacuate the crystals."

"Good. Though I doubt anything could happen to a proficient weapon of mass destruction such as this."

"It's highly unlikely; but if anything was to happen, the crystals would be gone, as well as our best advantage against the rebellion."

"Oh but I'll still be here." Bando replied; he walked on, but Tarkin just stopped and his perplexed gaze followed him.

Bando, accompanied by elite troopers pushing the crystal cargo, entered the laboratory; the scientists greeted him and took the crates into the lab.

"Keep them safe under every circumstance." Bando ordered.

"Yes sir."

"No one else but the Emperor alone shall know what goes on in this room." Bando finished, exiting the room. Only a few steps down the hall did he sense a shift in the force. _'They're at it again.'_ Then he found himself dashing back to the docking bay to take off; his trooper squad could barely keep up with him.

Bando's crew had quickly boarded again, all mostly confused as to what the rush was.

"Sir? What's going on?" A crew member asked.

"We've got rebels to catch. Set a course to Lothal, immediately. And get me another fleet! We're not underestimating the rebellion this time."

"Right away sir!"

 _'To accomplish what the late Grand Admiral Thrawn couldn't.'_

Ezra gasped as he woke from a vision. Kanan and Aang were at his side. "I saw something!" Ezra exclaimed.

"What was it?"

"I don't know, exactly. It _looked_ like the superweapon the Empire has, but it was less complete."

"What. . . does _that_ mean?" Aang asked.

"I'm not sure." Kanan replied, stroking his goatee.

"Maybe. . . there's another one?" Aang suggested. "That might be most logical. The Death Star that we know of is pretty much complete, and I honestly don't see any point in being shown the same thing when it's halfway built."

"Whatever it is, it won't be up to us to deal with." Kanan answered. "I'll talk to Hera, and she'll consult with General Dodonna. The rebellion will be able to figure something out."

The Jedi went off to join the rest of the crew; they found them conversing with Aresko and Grint on a hologram. Ezra went wide-eyed and muttered to Kanan, "Kanan, it's the two Imperials I told you about. The ones back from the dead."

"What do _they_ want?"

"Hera, what's going on?" Aang asked.

"One second." Hera replied. She turned back to Aresko and said, "Apologies. Please continue."

 _'For real?'_ The three Jedi thought.

"As I was saying, the information we have -I know- will be very beneficial to you."

"I'm afraid we can't go back to Lothal. Not right now, at least. The new sith occupying Lothal at the moment is limiting our ability to be _around_ Lothal. And if the information you have is so important, why can't you just _tell_ us?"

"It's not just one little secret. This is info on the Empire's plan for the next year, and some personal information on _him_ as well."

Everyone's expressions went from optomistic to serious.

"And by the way, he left. I don't know when he'll be back; but if you decide to make your move, you might want to hurry. Here's a little something that might help you."

"You have our thanks; give us a moment to think. Stand by." Hera told them as she shut off the holo-chat.

"What did they send us?" Aang asked.

"I'm working on it." Sabine mumbled, working through all the complicated encryptions.

Another hologram popped up, and they bore witness to some very juicy information.

"Bando Roscoe has his helmet designed not only to sustain his strength, but it has. . . mental repressors." Sabine said. She paused for a moment before asking, "Why does he need _those_?"

"I'm sure none of us know what they're for, but I know that those are our best bet against him. If we can hit them, he'll destabilize for sure." Aang said.

"He's not on Lothal at the moment, and we're being offered secret information that might enable us to defeat him. I don't think this is something we should pass up." Aang opined.

"I agree." Zeb said. "This is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity for us."

"And imagine the Empire's loss if we defeat someone as powerful as him." Sabine added.

"So do we all agree?" Hera asked suddenly, hoping to save time.

. . .

"I think so. Chopper, get us off the ground, and inform the rest of Phoenix Squadron." Kanan ordered. Chopper mock saluted, beeped, then flew up to the cockpit.

Hera opened the hologram channel again and told the Imperials, "We'll do it. We're on our way now."

"We are in your debt. We are sending you our coordinates." Aresko said as he and Grint briefly bowed, then both ends of the call closed.

Then the Ghost started lifting off, and the crew went up to the cockpit.

The Ghost and Phoenix Squadron exited hyperspace, and Lothal was in view. Although strangely, no Star Destroyers were in sight.

"I guess they _are_ gone." Sabine said.

"I haven't seen that in years." Ezra mumbled, gazing at a healing, Empire-less Lothal.

"Okay so we're going to go down there; we're going to pick them up, and we're going to get them out of here. We're not hanging around." Hera told them with much emphasis on her last phrase.

"Why would we do that? We're on the clock at the moment." Ezra reasoned.

"Just making sure we don't make a mistake in lagging around and interrogating them." Hera answered.

Aresko and Grint hid near one of Lothal's jungles of mountain-like boulders. Areasko leaned against one of them, managing a convenient, portable scanning device while Grint used macrobinoculars to scout out for the Ghost.

"I'm picking up a ship. Is it them?" Aresko asked.

"I think so. Something just came from hyperspace." Grint replied. As the Ghost followed the coordinates and got closer to them, Grint saw it was the rebellion and confirmed it to Aresko.

The Ghost landed in the middle of the field near the rocks, and the crew exited and greeted them.

"Good to know you obviously weren't lying." Ezra said.

"You got the info?" Hera asked; Aresko nodded, and Grint pulled up a couple of computer chips.

"These chips are heavily encrypted. You will need a technician to access the data inside." Grint said.

"I can do that." Sabine said.

"Okay we got the basics covered. Let's get out of here before it's too late, so we can safely discuss everything else necessary." Hera said. At that moment, they heard a beeping from the scanner.

"What is that?" Kanan asked suspiciously.

"That's a. . . ship scanner." Aresko answered slowly.

Hera's wrist comm beeped, and she answered it. "What is it?" She asked.

" _The Empire is back, and they're not underestimating us this time. We're going down to you_." General Dodonna replied from the other side before the line went fuzzy.

"No no no! They need to jump into lightspeed and _get out of here_." Hera nearly freaked out before running onboard the ship; everyone else followed.

Hera barely got off the ground before one of the Ghost's thusters was shot down, and lowered to the ground. It was still flyable, but it would only be slower.

"Chopper, you need to make repairs." Hera ordered. Chopper hastly whirred and immediately went to work.

"We'll be taking care of things on the ground. Come on." Kanan said before he and the other Ghost members went back down on the ground; Hera, Chopper, Aresko, and Grint remained onboard.

Chopper magnetized himself onto the ship as he started repairing the damaged thruster. He felt the ship moving, and realized they were flying.

"Ugh. This is gonna be rough." Hera said to herself.

The rest of the Ghost crew beheld the enormous number of Imperial TIEs and Star Destoryers, and all the crew had was a small fleet.

"How many are up there?" Kanan asked.

"Um, a lot." Ezra replied.

"Maybe too much." Sabine said.

The TIE Fighters went at it with the X-Wings and A-Wings, but the Star Destroyers did nothing; there was an open space between two of them. Then, an intimidating black ship appeared from nowhere, and filled the gap. It resembled a Mandalorian Kom'rk-class fighter, but was built more like an Old Republic ship.

"Oh, I have a feeling that's him." Ezra said concerned.

The ship stopped mid-air, leaving the rebels curious. Then they saw all the guns -covering its body- adjusting to aim at them.

"Guys. Remember the trick I taught you?" Aang asked Ezra and Kanan. The black ship rained fire on the Ghost crew, but stopped as the three Jedi outstretched their arms; the blasts were held in mid-air. Aang grinned directly at the visor window where he knew the sith was. "Push back." Aang told the others.

The trio pushed back with ease, and the huge array of gunfire shot back at the ship. But it had no effect, as the ship's shields were on. They could go over this again and again, so Aang tried using the force to crush a couple guns.

Jumping them all, Bando shot out of the window and landed on the ground in front of them. Bando straightened up and waved his hand and his shuttle landed.

No words needed to be spoken as to Bando's emotions. There was mass anticpation and determination; but it was the immense hatred that scared the rebels the most.

"My personally trained pilots will deal with the rest of your crew shortly; but right now, we'll have to settle with your dead corpses." Bando said, swinging his arm and relieving himself of his cape.

Two hilts appeared in his hands, and he spun them around; he thrusted down, and two red blades emitted.

Aang and Ezra cracked their necks and whipped out their lightsabers; before Kanan drew his, Bando put one hand -still holding the lightsaber- up as if silencing their actions. "I prefer one-on-one."

"Why should _we_ do that?" Aang asked.

"It'd be easier than the other way, having my Death Trooper squad pin you all down."

"We'll take our chances." Kanan said optomistically before igniting his lightsaber.

"Very well." Bando said before stancing himself. He stuck one blade in the air and signalled is Death Troopers out. They lined up, then circled around the Jedi.

Bando charged at them; he locked blades with Kanan and Aang. Ezra ran around and tried stabbing at him from the back; but Bando backflipped behind Ezra, making him fumble into Kanan. Once Bando landed, he kicked Ezra and made him knock Kanan over. He locked his own blades together and blocked a downward strike from Aang.

Aang pushed harder and harder, hoping to gain an advantage on Bando; but one of Bando's legs was stanced ninety degrees, so the other could kick upward. Aang found one of his lightsabers popping into the air. Bando pushed Aang away and pulled Aang's flying lightsaber to him.

"Quick hands." Bando bragged.

"But not quick enough." Aang retorted, holding up one of Bando's blades. Bando looked down and saw he was holding only one of his own blades and one of Aang's.

Bando just growled, and stared as Kanan and Ezra got back up.

"You three are quite formidable. But I wonder: are you good with your hands?" Bando asked aloud.

Aang chuckled.

Then out of nowhere, the blind man launched himself forward and attacked him himself. Bando was taken briefly by surprise, but fought anyway. Kanan fought like a pro; he had Sabine teach him and Ezra how to fight like a Mandalorian so they could maneuver in hand-to-hand combat more easily.

Bando felt uneasy at the display of such combat methods. "Well, Mandalorian are you?"

"Not really." Kanan replied before rapidly thrusting his arms froward, while not losing his defense.

"Well you fight like one." Bando semi-complemented, defending himself.

Kanan tried a foot sweep and tripped Bando; Bando fell forward, and Kanan kneed his face, cracking the red visor of Bando's helmet.

Bando retaliated and swept Kanan off his feet; Kanan fell on his back. Bando punched Kanan's face hard, cracking his mask. The mask eventually broke, and Bando continued assaulting Kanan's face until it was mostly covered in blood.

Before Bando struck a final blow, he found himself being tackled by Ezra. Aang fought off the Death Troopers who tried taking Kanan's wounded body.

Aang used his two extra arms to his advantage. He broke the arms of the incoming troopers; their snapped bones could be seen piercing from inside their armor. When the troopers began firing at him, Aang used the Death Troopers as shields, then used the force to clog their blasters.

When the troopers found that their blasters were inoperable, Aang cracked his head and his knuckles and told them with a grin on his face, "Aw shoot! No pun intended. Looks like I'm going to have to take care of you the brutal way."

Kanan heard Aang's words and turned his head in his direction, but he couldn't muster the energy to even mutter.

Bando recovered from Ezra's tackle and told him, "You fight like demons; you say you fight for what's right; there's more evil within you than you realize."

"Can't deny that, but I know how to control it." Ezra said before attacking Bando; Bando blocked so he could continue.

"But you keep it locked up inside. The longer you do so, the more you'll end up like me. All it takes is a little puch into madness."

Ezra persisted in fighting, but couldn't land one on Bando. "I will never be like you. The difference between us is that you're a sith, and I'm going to. . . win. . ."

Ezra felt a sudden disturbance in the force, as if a single soul was crying for help. It sounded desperate, and painful. It seemed as though it was eminating from-

Ezra blacked out from a sudden burst of blood-forced trauma on his forehead.

Bando was about to strike Ezra down, then an explosion from behind threw him several yards ahead.

The Ghost landed and they rushed to pick the Jedi up. Aang landed Kanan onboard when the other Death Troopers were finished off. The Ghost took off, but didn't leave.

Bando got up warily and saw Aresko and Grint on the ramp of the Ghost. He snarled and pulled a blaster to him so he could shoot them. The blaster was shot out of his hands; he found the source and saw Aang aiming a blaster his way. Bando cracked his neck and ran towards Aang. Aang just walked forward and kept blasting.

Aang eventually dropped the blaster; he used two of his arms to defend himself, and two to attack. They both engaged in a heated fist duel. They were constantly hitting and punching each other; but no matter how fast it felt like their energy drained, they persisted. There were bruises and there was blood on Aang's face; Band almost seemed unharmed.

"You seem less durable, Bando Roscoe." Aang said, wiping blood from his mouth.

"Perk of being an Imperial."

"No, I don't think so. I think the Empire caused you to need that helmet, am I right?" Aang sensed an opportunity as Bando let his guard down.

 _'How would he know of such a thing?'_ Bando thought. It was at this moment that Bando knew, he screwed up.

Aang tossed Bando around until he could properly hold Bando with the force. Bando was frozen in the air, facing Aang. Aang grinned, then turned Bando around.

Aang placed all four hands on Bando's helmet, on and around the spot where his repressors were. Weakened from the fight, Aang yelled through pain he had to endure in nearly crushing Bando's helmet. Bando gained some control and yelled as he tried crushing Aang's hands, attempting to pry them off.

"You know not what your actions will bring upon this galaxy!" Bando shouted over the screaming and loud blast fire in the sky.

"Ridding ourselves from you, will be my pleasure." Aang replied with a growl. He then pushed harder; the next thing he knew, there was a small explosion on his helmet.

Bando fell to his knees, then face down into the ground. Aang only fell to his knees, regaining his breath while staring at Bando's seemingly unconscious body.

Then everyone became suspicious as the firing stopped. Aang looked suspiciously into the air, then back at Bando's body as it started floating into the air.

Bando's face was lifted up, then through the cracks of his mask, steam eminated into the air. Aang jumped as Bando started screaming and clutching his head. The front of his mask slided up, then everyone saw as a green spirit came out of his body through his eyes, nose, and mouth.

His mask closed back up and he fell to the ground. There was no movement, no sound, not blast. Nothing happened for a moment.

"What's going on?" Hera asked from the Ghost, looking down at Bando and Aang.

Bando twitched on the ground.

Aang steadied himself.

Bando moved his arm to prop himself up; he dragged his knees forward to start getting himself up. He pushed himself up on his knee and looked at Aang. He looked around at all the ships, which were frozen mid-air. "What's going on?"

Shocked, Aang asked "What?" with a laugh.

Bando turned to Aang. "I mean, 'what's going on with all this?' It looks like I'm facing a firing squad. Did I do something."

"Are you messing with me right now?" Aang asked.

"Well I'm sorry, I have no idea what's been happening. The last thing I remember is-" Bando seemed to quiver and shake at the flashbacks he received. Then more were beginning to return. "Oh my!" He muttered.

Aang tilted his head in curiosity.

"I only meant to avenge my family, I didn't want to go through all _this_."

"Now it's my turn to ask, 'what's going on?' " Aang said.

"I'm remembering." Bando said.

" _Sir, shall we continue pursuing?_ " An Imperial asked Bando via comm system.

Bando thought about what he should do. He observed his surroundings and thought about the outcomes of his answers; then being the decisive one he is, he replied, "Negative. I've forseen the outcomes of this conflict, and it seems the rebellion has gained an advantage; I don't think we'll win."

" _Are you saying: retreat?_ "

. . .

"I am. It's better we leave it at a draw than a loss." Bando said as he ran and jumped into the air, activated his custom boot jets, and flew back towards Capital City. His Imperial fleet reluctantly followed; his shuttle was picked up as the fleet retreated.

 _'I have some figuring out to do. There are pieces of information that I don't know and that I'm not being told. I will find out what I need to know, then I'll make my own future. For now, I'll have to play Imperial a little longer.'_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Senator!" Hera called out to Mon Mothma. "We have huge news."

Mon Mothma nodded in compliance and guided them to the briefing center.

"How did they just drop dead?" Mon Mothma asked.

"We think their resurrection may have been connected to whatever spirit was possessing the sith." answered Kanan.

"Well, if he was forced to work for the Empire, but isn't anymore-" Mothma started.

"He should be our ally. We should bring him in." Admiral Raddus finished with his thoughts.

"That's too risky a move; he could be faking for all we know." Mothma countered.

"But whenever he became free of whatever it was that left him, his attitude towards the Empire seemed to have changed." Kanan piped in. "As a matter of fact," He continued, "When he became free, the Empire retreated."

Mon Mothma's brow furrowed. "Could they be afraid of something in him?"

"Maybe." Kanan answered. "Whatever was holding him could've been keeping his mind in a daze; all the while keeping whatever was useful to the Empire."

"If they're afraid of him, then we need him!" Raddus shouted again.

"I agree!" Ezra said, drawing eyes. "Admiral Raddus has a point. We could have a serious advantage with Bando on our side."

"Retrieving him could be your most dangerous mission yet. Taking a high-ranking Imperial straight from the capital is pretty much suicide." Mon Mothma said.

" _Forced_ Imperial." Kanan corrected. "When we arrive, he'll know it. And the type of person he is, I'm sure he'll comply."

"Senator Organa will want a say in this." Hera said. "Where is he?"

The heads of the authorities struck down. Mothma and Raddus shared a glance before Mothma pressed a button and revealed a shocking announcement. And a hologram of Bail Organa. 

_Bail Prestor Organa_

 _Born - 67 Years By The Galactic Standard Calender_

 _Died - 0 Years By The Galactic Standard Calender_

"He went to Alderaan to retrieve help, concerning the Empire's new weapon. He, he didn't make it off in time."

"In time for. . . what?" Hera leaned in dreadful curiosity.

"The weapon. . . it, destroyed Alderaan." Mothma told them.

"A whole planet?" Zeb growled after a long silence of reeling in the news.

"I'm afraid so." Mothma said quietly. "We're arranging a funeral for Bail; once done, you may go to retrieve this Bando character. We'll question him."

Hera nodded, while wearing a deeply saddened face.

Bando returned to the Imperial palace at the crack of dawn. To preserve boot jet fuel, he exercised a good distance. Once he arrived in the capital, he drew crowds away, which caught Imperials' attentions.

A squad of stormtroopers approached Bando and bowed. "My Lord, are you alright? We heard you were involved in a rebels attack upon your return."

"I have sustained little damage; my ship was left at the site."

"We will send a squad to retrieve it immediately."

"I require an escort back to my office. Rebels are on the loose."

"Yes sir!"

Bando sat at his computer machine in his office, researching his past for connections to his memories. Most of his memories had returned, but only in fragments; he had much to remember.

He hacked into the top secret files he uploaded to his computer and scrolled through, hoping the file codenames would ring a bell. Then as if it was bait, a file under _'Roscoe'_ seemed to impose itself.

Bando tapped into the file, but every file inside it was locked. Bando reclined in his chair for a second, wondering what he could do without triggering an alarm. Once he figured it out, he cracked his neck and his knuckles and hovered his hand over the device. Small bolts of electricity shot out from his fingers and into the circutry. Destroying the security firewalls, he opened the files with ease.

They were only video files to be seen, and the thumbnails concernced Bando a good deal. Bracing himself, he opened the first one.

He was beyond unsettled when he was finished.

Kanan found Hera in the cockpit, sitting by herself. He sensed unpleasantness within her, an emotion he was not unfamiliar with.

"I know you too well not to realize something's up." He said.

"I never actually agreed to this mission. This 'Bando' person almost single-handedly destroyed our fleet. If we go in after him, it could be a trap." Hera stood and faced him. "I can't lose you."

"And why would you lose me?" Kanan asked. "For once, I actually have a good feeling luck's on our side this time."

"I never took you as one who believed in luck."

"I have my moments." Kanan said, putting his arm around Hera. "Hera, I know we'll be alright."

"That's almost never possible, Kanan."

"It never hurts to look on the positive side. If you just relax, and clear your mind, it will have an amazing effect on your mind."

"What have you been watching on the holonet?" Hera laughed.

"It's just _'Jedi stuff.'_ " He exaggerated. "But. . . a little bit of yoga, too."

"That's a pretty picture." Hera said sarcastically.

"Laughter and amusement clears the mind of unpleasant emotion. How do you feel?" He asked, seemingly enlightened.

Hera lightly punched his shoulder. "A little better, Kanan. Thank you."

Kanan smiled.

The mission was on. The Ghost was in hyperspace en route to Lothal yet again. Everyone had disguises on to fit in with Capital City's crowd.

"Alright." Ezra exclaimed. "What's the plan?"

"It's pretty basic. Go in, grab the target, get out." Kanan said.

"That's a terrible plan." Hera crossed her arms.

"Our plans _always_ work out, Hera." Kanan pointed out, slapping a hand on her shoulder.

"Besides, this guy seems not to have always been on the Empire's side. Without his full support in the strike against us, we should have an easy time with our misison."

"Ezra's right." Sabine concurred. "We have a bit of a strategic advantage with him on our side."

"Now, there's no saying whose side he'll be on. We still have to be careful." Hera said.

"Reports have said the Empire is no longer stripping Lothal of its resources; they could be devoting more troops to their cause against us." Zeb added.

"Exactly!" Hera exclaimed. "Thank you, Zeb." She patted his back.

. . .

 _"This mission's really got you on edge, doesn't it?"_ Chopper beeped.

"No, Chop. I just don't see many good outcomes."

 _"What's the difference?"_

"Hera, it's okay that you worry. Just try not to let it cloud your better judgement. Be optomistic about this." Ezra said.

"Oh I'm being optomistic, believe me."

Ezra and Kanan still sensed something wrong. And everyone else did too.

"Hera?" Sabine called. "Are you okay?"

Hera could practically sense everyone's eyes on her; she chose not to face them, but she knew they wouldn't let it go.

With a sigh, she caved. "Being with the rebellion is a risk itself; but every time we take one of these missions, the stakes get higher. I'm worried that one of these days, they'll actually win."

"Hera, you know we won't let that happen." Kanan assured.

"But what if this nice act _is_ a farce?"

"He was obviously under Imperial control." Sabine said.

"No." Kanan said. "It was something more."

"Hera. Just believe everything will be alright, and they will be." Ezra said.

An awkward but necessary silence erupted from there until they landed on Lothal.

 _'None of this makes sense.'_ Bando thought to himself. _'I did what I did because I hated the rebels. I haven't felt any change; but, I, don't remember ever having a reason to hate them.'_

Spinning in cirlces in his chair, he tried putting the pieces together. _'What was inside my head? And why was that the one thing I couldn't find out about?'_

At that moment, he sensed the same rebel presence arriving near the city. _'And what are they doing here again? They're risking a lot even after these recent events.'_

He then got an idea and immediately stood to exit his room.

A devout Imperial spotted Bando leaving the facility on his own and instructed a probe to spy.

The Ghost crew spread out about the city with disguises. To retrieve Bando, they'd have to stealthily stake out and wait for him to appear in public.

"How do we know Bando's coming out any time soon?" Ezra asked Kanan through his comlink.

 _"I have a feeling he's gonna find us."_ Kanan replied.

Ezra hummed, then closed the channel. He then backed up behind an alley wall as he saw Bando conversing with some Imperials. Ezra spied with narrow eyes. "What's going on?" He mumbled to himself. He saw Bando stretch his arm outward as if pointing out directions, then the Imperials left; Bando remained.

Once the Imperials were far out of sight, Bando turned his head slightly to his side facing Ezra's direction; Ezra gasped when he did. Then a small, round object appeared in Bando's hand; Bando tossed it in his direction. It flew in the wind, then landed in the wall in front of Ezra's face. Startled, Ezra jumped back. He then watched as Bando slowly walked on as if nothing happened.

Ezra watched to make sure nothing else was happening, then pulled the round object from the wall. It appeared like a holodisc, but only displayed text instead. The words _'For Bridger's eyes only'_ caught his attention.

 _"Uh, Kanan?"_ Ezra commed.

"Ezra, tell me you have eyes on Bando."

 _"Well, yes, and no."_

"What does _that_ mean?" Hera asked with worry.

 _"Don't worry Hera, I only have good news. Our thoughts were correct. Meet back at the Ghost."_

"Copy." Kanan said. He felt a small weight lift from his chest as he heard the news and when he heard Hera sigh in relief. "See? What'd I tell ya?"

"I admit it: you were right. But my point still stands." She said, pointing a finger under Kanan's jaw, then heading off towards the Ghost. Kanan chuckled, then caught up beside her.

The Ghost crew approached the Ghost; but cautiously, as they noticed Bando sitting in a meditative position in front of the ramp. They stopped once they were in a safe-enough distance to both hear him and evade any possible attacks.

"We don't have much time. The Empire has noticed I've been gone, and will disperse probes all over. They may have sent one _as_ I left."

"Well that settles it. Let's go." Hera rushed as everyone quickly boarded.

Hera bascially teleported to the cockpit and lifted off as fast as she could.

Bando sat in the common room under Zeb and Sabine's watch. He glared at Sabine the whole time until he received a message from an Imperial.

 _"Sir, we have spotted a rebel craft leaving the system and are now in pursuit."_

Bando jumped in shock; Zeb and Sabine heard the message and informed Hera.

"Can't you stop them?" Zeb asked.

"These guys are my top team. Stopping isn't a part of their agenda." Bando replied.

"Well can't you do something about it?" Zeb asked. Then the Ghost was rocking back and forth, shaking everyone around.

"Not for long." Bando answered. "Wait! What kind of guns does this thing have?"

"Over there!" Zeb shouted over the loud blaster fire. He pointed to the door that lead to the nose laser cannon turret under the cockpit.

Bando charged in and sat down in the chair, observing the guns. "No, no. This won't do." He looked around.

The guns of the Ghost were doing next to no harm at all to the special TIEs of Bando's squad. Everyone persisted at taking them down, but lost their shields.

"Ah! Our shields are gone!" Hera shouted from the cockpit.

"So is their luck." Bando shouted from below.

Bando opened his helmet, tore panels open from the controls beside him, and took the wires out and inserted them into open slots in his helmet.

"What are you doing?!" Hera shouted somewhat angrily from above.

"Giving this an upgrade." He replied, inserting a few more wires. Then the 'blueprints' of the upgrade downloaded and displayed into his helmet. "Oh. Yeah!" He then held back a super charge with the gun; when one TIE came into view, he let go. A long energy laser shot out, pierced, and decimated the TIE; another one tried turning away, but was too late. "Buy me some time! This has to recharge!" He told Hera, who was lost in a confused, shocked, and surprised trance.

"Oh. Right." She swerved around and above the other three TIEs, avoiding their shots. "I'm not sure how much longer we can last without our shields; so whatever you're doing, please do it quick."

"Take it up with the ship. Most you can do is convert power to this cannon, but it won't help too much."

"Fine! But don't criticize my ship."

"I may never have hated you guys in the first place, but this ship has been a pain in the Empire's side for a long time. " He retorted. _'It's ironic because an ex-Imp is making it a bigger pain.'_

"What's the status?" Hera asked.

"Mostly charged. Just a few more seconds."

Hera kept moving around for a little while longer.

"NOW!"

Hera stopped flying, and the Ghost just floated. It was the perfect angle; Band lined up the shot and took out three birds with one stone.

"And they didn't suspect a thing, those reb- er, those, Imperials. _My_ men." Bando became saddened at the thought of what he just did.

Hera heard his lowering voice and joined him down below. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "I'm sorry. You must have been close to them."

"A bit. We went through a lot together."

"We all lose people in war. It's, the sad, harsh reality we live in."

. . .

"Where are we going?" Bando asked.

"We just acquired an ex-Imperial. Our authorities will need further proof of your legitimacy."

"I'm as legitimate as legitimacy gets."

"They need more than words."

"Ugh. I'll just get it over with."

"Name?" Mon Mothma asked. She and Admiral Raddus assigned themselves to interrogate Bando.

"Bando Roscoe."

"Age?"

"Fifteen."

"Status?"

" _Former_ status, I should correct." Bando replied. "Imperial Lord. Dark side user, but not a sith."

"Interesting. Care to emphasize on that?"

"Ever heard of Count Dooku?"

"Yes. He was the head of the Seperatist Senate back in the Clone Wars. I never saw him face-to-face, but he was an immense threat to the Republic."

"Mhm. I consider myself among his rank."

"Are you really a defect?" Raddus asked.

Bando looked down, then back up. "I have done much in my life that I regret. Most of it wasn't my choice. Something, I don't know what, was, controlling me. It was inside my head and making me do things I wouldn't even think of now. I lost people, I killed people, I. . . have done so much wrong in the name of Imperial justice." He sighed. "I now, hope, that I can undo what I have done. If you'll have me."

The Ghost crew, Aang, and Kallus watched from behind the one-way glass.

"Fifteen years old and he's _that_ powerful. Can you believe that?" Ezra asked.

"I have never heard of this one in all my time with the Empire." Kallus said. "Where did he come from?"

"Good question. Did you have inside sources?" Kanan asked.

"Some. All the Empire was aware of all authorities, but this one has been vacant from any records.

"That _is_ suspicious." Kanan concurred.

"Does it matter now?" Aang asked. "We have one of the Empire's best kept secrets on our side now. He can tell us a lot."

"Good point, too."

"Would it be too much to ask if you could remove your helmet?" Mothma asked.

Bando sat back in his chair, crossed his arms, and pondered the question.

"What do you think you'll see if I do?"

"Would we see anything other than the face of a man of war?"

Bando leaned forward. "You're karking right! The face of a _tortured_ man of war. My life wasn't all Imperial. I _hated_ my Imperial life, but I put up with it because it was _paradise_ to the previous."

Raddus lowered his head. "We all have our fair share of hard pasts. Believe me, I do too. My home was a war zone, and it has haunted me since. I suppress it by being courageous and headstrong. Always eager for battle; it, helps me feel better. Being hepful for a time when I couldn't be."

Bando understood. He slowly reached up to take his helmet off. But he only brushed his fingers against it when the intercom went off. "Death Star approaching." It repeated.

"Uh oh." Bando said before bursting out of the room and outside the rebel base. He looked up in the sky and saw the gray moon station beside Yavin. "Did any of you know about this?" He asked the crowd gathering behind him?"

"Yes." Mothma said with a shaky voice. "We sent a team out to destroy it."

"Well if nothing happens in the next few seconds, we're doomed." He looked back up at the weapon. "This is the Emperor's crown achievement, and it's about to f-"

 _ **BA-BOOM**_

The station was replaced by an explosion.

"Well, never mind." Bando said. "Man, and to think I was involved in that." He only got partway into his sentence before the crowd hollered out loud screams of victory.

Ezra rushed inside and found Leia and General Dodonna over the holotable. "Who did it? Who won this for us?"

"Red 5 struck the blow."

"Red 5?"

"Yes. He was replaced by a new recruit. Luke Skywalker is his name." Leia said.

Ezra just inwardly laughed. "The force has its ways doesn't it?" He mumbled.

"This is a cause for celebration." General Dodonna said.

"Indeed it is, General." Leia agreed.

Ezra went out and celebrated with the others; he ended up finding Bando standing out away from the crowd, still staring into the sky.

"Hey. You're one of us now. Come celebrate with us." Ezra said.

"Regardless of whether you guys were so active or not, the Death Star would've been destroyed. If you weren't so active, I would've been on it when it blew. I was saved from a terrible fate, and for that I am appreciative."

"We do what we can to help all we can." They shook hands. "Welcome to the family."

The second-in-command Imperial officer on Lothal's base gathered the fleet inside the new dome to welcome the new faction leader. They were expecting a shuttle to arrive, but instead faced a single figure dragging himself with a cane across the pathway into the facility. The sackcloth on his torso covered old, dark robes which lagged behind him; his head was almost sealed by the garment. It was odd, but still he struck fear into the eyes of the Imperials present.

 _ **(See picture of Imperial stranger on Archive Of Our Own)**_

He halted in front of the secon-in-command officer.

An awkward silence passed, then the officer cleared his throat and said, "I presume you are the one the Emperor, _personally_ , sent-"

The stranger's fingers seemed to extend in length, then they reached up and wrapped around the officer's neck. He squeezed a vacuum-tight seal around his neck, not even allowing the officer to gasp for air. He used the force to rip the air from his lungs and to stop the blood flow of his body, primarily aging his body decades in seconds. The officer's skin flaked up and his body went cold. The stranger reached up and pressed a finger to his forehead, then plain and simply, sucked the life force out of him. The quickly aged corpse was released from the supernatural grasp, fell to the ground, and shattered to pieces.

Everyone froze in silence.

After another moment passed, the newcomer simply waved his hand once, and every Imperial vehicle in the dome turned to the crowd and rained fire upon them. The room became a genocidal bloodbath, and ended with a huge pile of bones and flesh.

"Hail Bogan." The dark one said.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _Days Later_

Bando stirred awake on the common room chair, his head planted on the table. His first days in the rebellion were as awkward as it could've gotten. He was as distant towards the rebel soldiers as they were to him; he could only find conversation around the Jedi. When he woke, his helmet pulled up the time; the numbers appeared fuzzy.

"Darn thing!" He quietly exclaimed. He smacked the side of his helmet, focusing the visor. The time read 0526. _'Schedule's not leaving me alone.'_ He thought.

Ezra and Zeb awoke to the sound of faint clanking. Ezra stretched and jumped down; he looked back and saw Zeb getting up.

"Had a light sleep too?" Ezra asked.

"Yeah." Zeb grunted. "That noise is getting repetitive."

Ezra and Zeb walked out into the hall and looked down into the cargo bay. They found Bando doing multiple sets of exercises.

"Bando? It's hardly morning." Ezra said.

"Aaaand it's also a part of my schedule."

"Since when?" Zeb asked.

"Years."

"Well I hate to break it to you," Ezra said sarcastically, "but here in the rebellion, we're a bit more relaxed. We don't wake up this early. Just, go back to sleep okay?"

"Huh."

Zeb retreated to his bunk; Ezra followed, but stopped to ask, "How do you eat or drink with that thing?"

Bando sat back down on his chair. _'No training schedules?'_

. . .

He slowly laid back down and put his hands over his torso. _'_ _ **Back**_ _to sleep.'_

He awoke to the notification of a holo text. He was informed of a brief rebel meeting about a supply run. He shot up and headed over to the base.

When he arrived, only Hera, Kanan, and Mon Mothma were there. He was met with a few stares, and Mothma had a few words about it. "General Syndulla, I do believe that in this time of stress for the Empire that their security will be tighter than ever. I do not believe it is wise to bring him along."

"Yes, but with the Empire's security tightening, he could be our best shot at an easy escape." Hera replied.

"Might I ask," Bando intervened,"who it was that sent me the meeting notification?"

"That was me." Ezra said, coming up with Zeb, Aang, and Sabine.

Bando took one look at Sabine then instantly drew his blaster.

Everyone flinched and Zeb drew his rifle, but Ezra stepped in between. "Woah woah woah! Hey! She's one of us! She's a friend!"

. . .

"What?" Bando shouted.

"She defected from the Mandalorians; she's a full-blown rebel."

"I don't care about her story. I just hate Mandalorians; I don't have the most pleasant history with them."

Hera relaxed then stepped up and put a hand on Bando's shoulder, "I'm afraid not many do. But the point of the rebellion is not only to bring hope, but also to show that people of all cultures can be united as one for a common good. You and Sabine can be an excellent example, whatever your past may be."

. . .

"What house?" Bando asked.

". . . Vizla." Sabine replied reluctantly.

"The _traitorous_ house to Mandalore." He paused for a moment. "I'll let it slide." He holstered his weapon, then Zeb holstered his.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Zeb said.

The Imperial complex on Lothal witnessed the arrival of a new sith lord. He didn't meet much in expectations of intimidation; his torso and head was covered in sackcloth, and wore a robe over his legs. He limped on a cane over to the next highest Imperial officer.

"Are you another Inquisitor?" The officer asked.

The figure looked up slowly, then like a bolt of lightning, his strangely long hand wrapped around the officer's throat and squeezed. He used the force to suck out all air from the victim's lips. His skin flaked up and dusted away, and his eyes flew up. Then he took all the blood out from his body and absorbed it. The corpse was left pasty, skeletal, and drained to the bone. The sith seemed to limp a little less after that. "This division has shown nothing but failure unless someone like Darth Vader stepped in. I will not toletate such a reputation."

With a wave of his hand, all the walkers, carriers, and speeder bikes turned on and aimed at every Imperial in the room and blasted them into oblivion.

A specially armored stormtrooper entered the room and stood by the sith's side. "First orders, sir?"

"Bring in the new division. We begin work immediately."

"Yes, sir."

Bando sensed a dark movement in the force like nothing else he had sensed before. He tried meditating on it, but Hera brought him out of it. He remembered he was on the way back to Lothal for a supply run.

"Bando!"

He snapped his head up and looked at her.

"Bando, talk to me here."

"I, sensed an unnatural shift in the force. We may be walking into a trap."

"What kind of trap?"

"I'm not sure. I may be powerful, but the force is as mysterious as ever."

"Well we'll be on high alert. I don't think the Empire could have replaced you that quickly."

Bando thought hard about that.

"May I ask you something?"

"I see no problem."

"Is there a deeper reason you hate Mandalorians? You were Imperial, and they were never fond of Mandalorians either."

"My experience goes beyond my times with the Empire."

"What? But you're barely an adult!"

"That wouldn't stop them." Bando slowly turned his head, emphasizing his hard point.

"Well Sabine is better than the others. You ought to give her a chance."

Bando got up and left, but not without a last word. "I tolerate her. Be thankful for that." As he left, Kanan entered.

"Not even eighteen, and he's infested with darkness; haunted by his past. We have to take care of him."

"Just hope he can feel one with the rebellion before he finds out we have a Mandalorian army on our side."

"Oh boy." Kanan groaned.

When they exited hyperspace above Lothal, they did not expect to see what they did. Star destroyers blown apart, and Imperial bodies floating around. This even took Bando to a new level of surprise.

"They can't be that vulnerable without me. Was this your peoples' work?" Bando asked.

"No. This is too extreme for us." Hera said.

"And Saw is dead. So who's responsible?" Kanan asked.

Bando thought about that, and began feeling nervous for the coming fight. _'Fight? We're just on a supply run. I've got a_ _ **very**_ _bad feeling about this.'_

They entered the atmosphere, which was very gray at the moment. When land reached their sight, what they saw made Hera instantly pull back up. Everyone else entered the cockpit afterwards. "Uh, Hera. What just happened? The ship jerked up and made us fall on our faces."

"Sorry." Hera simply stated.

No one else spoke for a few seconds, then Kanan did. "Hera? You okay? What did you see?"

"They were fighting each other."

A battallion of stormtroopers and other Imperials were battling the new division of Imperials. Facing betrayal, the remainders of the old division ditched their helmets so they could aim better. No one saw the silhouette of the Ghost fly over the clouds towards the city.

"Uh, where were those coordinates?" Aang asked.

"Just near the outer wall." Hera said, landing the ship outside the unguarded gate.

Bando, Hera, and Chopper remained inside the Ghost while the others hauled in the supplies.

"You not going?"

Bando was staring out the cockpit where he saw smoke rising into the air; he collected himself before answering Hera, "Yeah. . . I think I'm going." He said before quickly departing.

Confused by his shaken tone, Hera shared glances between him and the distant battlefield outside; she put the pieces together quickly, then went after Bando. "Um, uh Bando! That is not a good idea!"

"Those are _my_ men! They've been betrayed by the Empire for some reason; once they see me with you, they'll follow me into the rebellion."

Hera nodded, allowing him to go ahead. Bando jumped up into the air and activated his boot jets, flying on over to the battlefield.

Shortly after, the rest of the crew came back with the supplies. "There's not a single citizen or Imperial in sight. Where's Bando?" Kanan asked.

"Out there." Hera replied, turning and facing the field.

Kanan shook his head, "Aang, inspect the crates for any bugs."

"On it!"

It was indeed not a trap. Two teams of Imperials were battling each other far out in the plains. People were dying, more on Bando's side. The new squadron had upgraded armor to withstand blaster fire more than standard armor. But Bando's squad decided to ditch their helmets to assist their aim.

"Hold the line! These traitors can't destroy us!" The former officer said.

Then they heard a crack rip through the air. In a split second, Bando made his dramatic entrance, forming a crater around him as he landed like a comet. He climbed out the pit and faced the opposing crowd.

"Where is your loyalty?!" He shouted. "What business have you slaughtering my men?"

"You are no longer in charge. We have orders from our new boss to clear Lothal of its failures." The new commander said.

Bando recoiled at the insult. "I succeeded where the late Thrawn failed. I went beyond Imperial boundaries to bring the Ghost crew back to Lothal. It was under _my_ command that we began to decimate their numbers."

"It was under your command that the rebellion gained a victory few days ago. You went missing. May I inquire as to where you have been?"

"That will be all, commander." The new person in charge said.

Bando stepped down and went face to face with the new adversary. "I know you, don't I?" He asked.

"You know you do." He said.

"Prove it."

Just after Bando requested, the Ghost flew overhead, and the crew except for Hera and Chopper jumped down and joined Bando below.

Some of Bando's Imperials slowly pointed their blasters at the crew. Ezra turned and gave them a look. Just that let them know they were now on the same side. They had a new common enemy.

 _'Who's this guy?'_ Sabine thought to herself.

The figure removed the sackcloth material from his head, and the result surprised everyone.

 _ **(See picture on Archive of Our Own to get the full image)**_

His head fixture didn't look exactly the same, but it was similar enough for them to tell that this was a clone.

Everyone except Bando was surprised. The clone stretched his arms apart, his hands glowing red. Everything around them began fading away until they were floating in darkness. The red on the clone's hands transferred down below them to form the top-view image of a volcano. They descended until they found themselves in a secret underground grave.

Bando looked over and saw a group of men surrounding one particularly aged grave. They were performing some sort of magik spells and chanting in an ancient language which Bando recognized to be only Sith. "Rise, ancient master of the sith. The time for your awakening has come. Rise, and take vengeance." They chanted.

"What is this?" Bando asked.

"Your origin." The clone answered.

"I was not born in a grave."

"Oh, no. The power that lies with the dead is what kept you alive. What gave you a life; a purpose."

"I resented working for the Empire; whatever was possessing me is gone now, and I will never return."

"A return to the dark side is not what I offer. The Empire is lowly, but the best way to seize control of the galaxy."

"Control of the galaxy?! I just want my own life." Bando decided to stop leading him on. He took out his still-red lightsaber and pointed it at the clone. "Now get out of my head!"

The clone switched his gaze between the lightsaber blade and Bando, then replied, "Very well." He snapped, then they were back on the battlefield.

No later after they appeared back did the clone swing his lightsabers; Bando barely dodged them, only earning some scratches on his helmet.

"For the Empire." The clone said.

"For my life." Bando said. They swung their lightsabers and struck blades a few times before accidentally falling off balance and stumbling away. Bando picked up his blaster, turned around and shot at his clone. The clone turned around and absorbed the shot with his hand. They charged at each other again and were caught in an extreme battle. As it was going on, Ezra closed his eyes and looked into the Bando clone. He didn't sense anything unusual about him, just a typical cold sith presence.

The battle went on for several moments, the same thing was playing over and over again. The clone was getting tired of it, so he decided to change things up a bit. He grabbed Bando and flew up into the sky with his boot jets. Meanwhile, back on the ground, the soldier battle raged on.

The clones were flying around the area, punching, elbowing, and kicking each other. They were nearing some mountains when Bando managed to push the clone away and shoot a small missile into the mountain. Bando used the force to launch some crumbling boulders at the clone. The clone just ignited his lightsabers and cut the pieces that went his way.

Bando then used the force to pull any boulders that went behind him, back towards the clone, hitting his head and arms. The clone then flew towards Bando with his lightsabers pointing forward. He knew Bando would move out of the way with such an imposing move, so he also sneakily used the force to retaliate what Bando did, only Bando got hit fewer times.

The clone's hands started glowing again and several apparitions appeared, coming out of the clone's body. Bando started flying around trying to slice them all, to find them disappearing when he came near them. He looked around, and created a giant force-repulse, making all of them disappear. He looked around and didn't see the clone. Then it started raining.

Bando sensed himself behind himself and swung himself around, force-pushing the clone away. Bando sped towards him; he delivered a hard punch to the clone. Then the clone's hands started glowing again, and he disappeared. Bando recovered and straightened himself up; panting, he looked around for the clone. He didn't want to give the clone the element of surprise by staying in the same place, so he flew over to the broken mountain for a steady foundation.

All of a sudden, the clone came from nowhere and punched Bando so hard -using the force to assist him- that Bando was flown off the mountain. He fell down, hitting some rocks on the way down. He started recovering and slowly started getting up. The clone flew down fast, stopped his boot jets and landed, using Bando's head to break his fall.

"You're so obtuse to your abilities. You're no match for me." The clone said, circling around Bando and stabbing through his shoulder. "If you hadn't been so naive, you wouldn't be a subject to so much of... this." The clone gestured to all of Bando. "Join me, and become more than the Empire, more than the Jedi, and more than the Sith. Become a force-god."

Just then, Bando swiped his arm around -using the force to trip the clone- then pulled the knife from his shoulder. The clone tripped, and his lightsaber unignited; he quickly recovered then saw Bando trying to get up. He ran up to kick him down, just to have Bando hold his foot in place, disabling the clone's movement. The storm advanced as lightning started hitting, and the thunder booming.

Bando looked up, fury emitting everywhere. Screaming, he used all the strenght he could muster to throw the clone into the mountain wall. He pulled up a small missile from his other arm and shot it above the clone, nearly burying him in mountain. When the smoke cleared, he saw the clone on the ground, unconscious, but not dead. Bando was confused, scared, and furious. He knew he couldn't kill him with a lightsaber; his own armor was too strong for that. Bando limped away, trying to fly off; but due to the fall, his boot jets barely functioned. Bando just barely hovered above the ground, then he steadily flew off to the Ghost crew.

Bando noticed his chest was bleeding. He held his hand there and compressed, keeping from letting too much blood leak out. He arrived back to the scene to find the Ghost hovering above ground with all the rogue Imperials dead on the ground and his men boarding the Ghost.

Bando started flying faster into the cargo bay. He stumbled, but landed on his back on the crates the Ghost crew salvaged earlier. Kanan sensed Bando's feelings and felt a little cold, then he sensed his condition. "Bando!" He called, all the Imperials suddenly seeing Bando. "Are you alright?"

Kanan sensed Bando intimidatingly turn his head as if that answered his question. Kanan put his hands up defensively and walked away.

 _\- Time skip-_

Bando mended his wounds as best he could alone in the medbay; when he finished, he leaned back on the wall to contemplate, _'How do I learn of my abilities like_ _ **he**_ _did? He's so much more powerful than I am. If I'm obtuse, just how much power_ _ **do**_ _I wield? As much as he does, perhaps. Whatever the case may be, I beat him. And if I beat him then, I can do it again. And I can take anything that comes our way.'_


End file.
